It's not very often these days that you see Texas women's basketball go on the road and lose like they did against No.5 Vanderbilt. That was one of the wierdest games I think the Longhorns have had this season. You could tell that they were so disjointed on the court that even Vic Schaefer was confused about where physicality went. The Longhorns remained in Tennessee as they traveled to Knoxville to take on the No. 22 Tennessee Volunteers.
When the Longhorns tipped off against Tennessee yesterday, I knew there would be some animosity between the two teams. Both teams faced off in March Madness last season, and the Longhorns sent the Volunteers home. Texas is lucky they had enough defense left in the tank to stop the Volunteers' comeback efforts in the 65-63 win last night.
Here are four takeaways from today's win in Knoxville, Tennessee.
1. Very contested start to the game
I have to say the Lady Volunteers really wanted revenge after Texas eliminated them from March Madness last year. It was a very contested first quarter as both teams really wanted to keep possession of the ball. I was glad to see that Rori Harmon and Madison Booker were making their shots to begin the game. It was a lot better compared to the start they had against Vanderbilt on Thursday. Vic must have gotten to them after the game because their effort was way better. Texas finished the first quarter leading by eight points.
2. Talaysia Cooper was not guarded well
I knew going into the game that Talaysia Cooper was going to go off on the Longhorns. She had 15 points and one assist by halftime. I don't know if the Longhorns read the scouting report, but she's one of the most underrated players in the SEC right now. Texas needs to do a better job of locking down these types of players. The Longhorns could easily have run away with the game if they had locked her down. Instead, she almost stole the victory from Texas.
3. Have to question why coach sat Rori and Madison at the same time
Look, I understand that some athletes can't play all 40 minutes of basketball. Some players need their rest and a breather on the bench. However, I don't understand why Vic Schaefer decided to sit Booker and Harmon at the same time. The Longhorns had a nice lead in the second quarter, but that quickly diminished when both players took a break. You have to at least keep Booker or Harmon on the court at all times. Schaefer has to know better by now.
4. You could tell Texas felt embarrassed after losing to Vanderbilt
Texas put in a better effort than in their last game. Something must have clicked at practice because you could tell the energy from the Longhorns in the first quarter was so much better than this past Thursday. I don't know if the Longhorns didn't want to be embarrassed a second game in a row, but this was the bounce-back game Texas needed to get back on track.
The Longhorns will be back on Thursday as they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in the game postponed due to severe winter weather.